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Shearing Time?

Posted by Elyse Nicholson on April 2, 2010 at 3:55pm in Goats 101

When is the correct time in the year to shear off that winter hair? I know this is a question I have every year, but usually mangage to figure out but when my goats get hot outside. But with the addition of two new goats over a year and a half ago, I am now not sure what the answer is.

 

Beauty and Hansel grow really really thick winter coats and even though they are all shedding nicely, Beauty and Hansel come in every day from their outdoor pen really hot. Fairy and Goose are also shedding, but don't seem to grow as thick as coats, she they never seem to be as hot as mother and son. The two aren't panting, but they do breathe heavy. So I am just wondering how long I should wait before shearing them.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

WG4

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Replies

  • Elyse Nicholson April 9, 2010 at 11:00pm
    Thanks Melodie!! It was a great suggestion! This pic was taken at 4:00pm, when I put it out there - so I guess I don't really know how much shade it provides during the day, since it quickly left the pen today!

    It is a great pictures because you can see the horse pens (right), the dog pen (front), our hay field in the back, plus the wonderful dirt hill! And a little piece of the unfinshed deck. Amazing! All from one photo! I can't wait to put the umbrella out there tomorrow for the whole day!!

    Thanks again!
    WG4

    Melodie Prichta said:
    OMG!! That looks so great!! and what a great pic!! Im somewhat proud that my suggestion could help you and your Goats. I love the idea of putting them in the spools!! I know a lot of people have the spools for their goats. Ive never been lucky enough to find any, but if I ever do I know where my umbrellas are going. Thanks sooo much for sharing!!!
    take care and have fun
    Melodie

    WorkingGoats4 said:
    It "screws" into the ground. It has handles on the side that you turn and in digs into the ground. And then it is also inside of a spool, so that adds a little extra support! Fairy was scared of it at first, but then she got over it! Mother and son loved it! They were chewing on the pole. :) The nice thing is that it is soo tall that they cannot eat the top!

    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
    Excellent! I love it! How did you secure it so it doesn't blow away?

    WorkingGoats4 said:
    HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! I was out shopping today and finally found a beach umbrella for the goats!! YAY! It is 92" tall and the umbrella itself expands 8ft wide!! YAY It is perfect. Check out the photo below!
  • Melodie Prichta April 9, 2010 at 10:46pm
    OMG!! That looks so great!! and what a great pic!! Im somewhat proud that my suggestion could help you and your Goats. I love the idea of putting them in the spools!! I know a lot of people have the spools for their goats. Ive never been lucky enough to find any, but if I ever do I know where my umbrellas are going. Thanks sooo much for sharing!!!
    take care and have fun
    Melodie

    WorkingGoats4 said:
    It "screws" into the ground. It has handles on the side that you turn and in digs into the ground. And then it is also inside of a spool, so that adds a little extra support! Fairy was scared of it at first, but then she got over it! Mother and son loved it! They were chewing on the pole. :) The nice thing is that it is soo tall that they cannot eat the top!

    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
    Excellent! I love it! How did you secure it so it doesn't blow away?

    WorkingGoats4 said:
    HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! I was out shopping today and finally found a beach umbrella for the goats!! YAY! It is 92" tall and the umbrella itself expands 8ft wide!! YAY It is perfect. Check out the photo below!
  • Elyse Nicholson April 9, 2010 at 8:58pm
    It "screws" into the ground. It has handles on the side that you turn and in digs into the ground. And then it is also inside of a spool, so that adds a little extra support! Fairy was scared of it at first, but then she got over it! Mother and son loved it! They were chewing on the pole. :) The nice thing is that it is soo tall that they cannot eat the top!

    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
    Excellent! I love it! How did you secure it so it doesn't blow away?

    WorkingGoats4 said:
    HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! I was out shopping today and finally found a beach umbrella for the goats!! YAY! It is 92" tall and the umbrella itself expands 8ft wide!! YAY It is perfect. Check out the photo below!
  • Deborah Niemann-Boehle April 9, 2010 at 8:20pm
    Excellent! I love it! How did you secure it so it doesn't blow away?

    WorkingGoats4 said:
    HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! I was out shopping today and finally found a beach umbrella for the goats!! YAY! It is 92" tall and the umbrella itself expands 8ft wide!! YAY It is perfect. Check out the photo below!
  • Elyse Nicholson April 9, 2010 at 8:01pm
    HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! I was out shopping today and finally found a beach umbrella for the goats!! YAY! It is 92" tall and the umbrella itself expands 8ft wide!! YAY It is perfect. Check out the photo below!

  • Elyse Nicholson April 4, 2010 at 7:46am
    What a great idea! And with the spools I put out there, I could just stick the umbrella in the hole to hold it up!

    Awesome! I'm going to start looking for one!

    Thanks!
    WG4
  • Melodie Prichta April 3, 2010 at 11:13pm
    Yea. Its a fast, realive "inexpensive" way to get some shade fast. A lot of times some of the larger discount stores will have them on sale in the summertime.

    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
    What a cool idea! I know last year WG4 was having trouble with sunburn too, so this takes care of both problems.

    Deborah

    Melodie Prichta said:
    you can just get some large umbrellas like you take to the beach. Big Beach umbrellas work great cause you can move them when you rotate your goats. you can also tilt them to the direction of the "south" sun so your goats have the most shade all day. You can put them in diffrent areas so your goats have a choice or put them all togehter to make a large shaded area. The goats also LOVE to rub their heads and "mark" the poles. All you need is a good rubber hammer to pound them in good. If your soil is really hard them you might want to dig a bit or water the area to soften it up. An added bonus is the brightly colored umbrellas dont look as bad as some old tarp strung up over ropes ..sometimes it looks really decorative!!!

  • Deborah Niemann-Boehle April 3, 2010 at 10:56pm
    What a cool idea! I know last year WG4 was having trouble with sunburn too, so this takes care of both problems.

    Deborah

    Melodie Prichta said:
    you can just get some large umbrellas like you take to the beach. Big Beach umbrellas work great cause you can move them when you rotate your goats. you can also tilt them to the direction of the "south" sun so your goats have the most shade all day. You can put them in diffrent areas so your goats have a choice or put them all togehter to make a large shaded area. The goats also LOVE to rub their heads and "mark" the poles. All you need is a good rubber hammer to pound them in good. If your soil is really hard them you might want to dig a bit or water the area to soften it up. An added bonus is the brightly colored umbrellas dont look as bad as some old tarp strung up over ropes ..sometimes it looks really decorative!!!

  • Melodie Prichta April 3, 2010 at 8:53pm
    you can just get some large umbrellas like you take to the beach. Big Beach umbrellas work great cause you can move them when you rotate your goats. you can also tilt them to the direction of the "south" sun so your goats have the most shade all day. You can put them in diffrent areas so your goats have a choice or put them all togehter to make a large shaded area. The goats also LOVE to rub their heads and "mark" the poles. All you need is a good rubber hammer to pound them in good. If your soil is really hard them you might want to dig a bit or water the area to soften it up. An added bonus is the brightly colored umbrellas dont look as bad as some old tarp strung up over ropes ..sometimes it looks really decorative!!!

    WorkingGoats4 said:
    I guess I need to find some shade for them this year. You see they graze in our 10 acre hay field - no trees or shelter in sight. They have a movable pen, so it is not big enough for more than two spools. I'll have to make up something this year for them though.

    They are shedding though, just wanted to make sure they weren't getting too hot and I shouldn't be doing something.

    WG4
  • Elyse Nicholson April 3, 2010 at 8:27pm
    I guess I need to find some shade for them this year. You see they graze in our 10 acre hay field - no trees or shelter in sight. They have a movable pen, so it is not big enough for more than two spools. I'll have to make up something this year for them though.

    They are shedding though, just wanted to make sure they weren't getting too hot and I shouldn't be doing something.

    WG4
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